CyFy Edit 2021

That First Childhood Cigarette: Big Tobacco metaphor drags US Congress to address a bigger dilemma

The recent testimony by Frances Haugen placed Facebook under scrutiny after flagging its harmful algorithms, thus raising the question should governments regulate Big Tech after all?

Time to get serious about commercial satellite servicing

The narrative around commercial satellite servicing must move beyond its “dual-use” capabilities to fully be prepared for the impending revolution in space technology

Want innovation in space? Support arms control

Regulation and innovation are seen to be in conflict with each other, but arms control in space can actually help, and not hinder, innovation

The case for an alliance of Techno-Democracies

This alliance and its leadership will be essential to safeguarding democratic institutions, norms, and values, and be a driver for sustainable and equitable economic growth around the world

Return of ASATs and counterspace technologies: A slippery slope to weaponisation?

The recent sharing of views on space security, prompted by a UN resolution, has highlighted that legally binding treaties and non-binding norms are not necessarily incompatible

When Algorithms decide and regulating those decisions

How do we ensure that a user know what they are consenting to when the calculus between short-term gain of using the service against any harm due to loss of ...

21st Century mythologies: The rise (and fall?) of Big Tech

As sovereign states work overtime to “tame” the tech giants, should platforms be punished for succeeding beyond anyone’s wildest imaginations?

History of the internet and the future of inclusive communities: A case study

Delving into the future of the Web and going beyond traditional social media platforms to study the new inclusive platforms of the future ...

Fair space commerce: A key component of sustainable global space governance

The focus needs to go beyond emerging technologies to include fundamental principles, such as the protection of sovereignty, free and fair trade, and the independence of fledgling and other space-faring ...

Warfighting in Space: Managing risks and seizing opportunities to avoid space weaponisation

Modern military forces cannot fight and win without space, and the loss of access to vital space support for terrestrial forces dramatically raises the risk of tactical surprise, and ultimately, ...

Back to the tech future: Do emerging critical technologies provide an ‘edge’ against new global uncertainties and threats?

There is a need to speculate on how the international order will be changed, if at all, by critical technologies

Building a case for decentralised AI ethics

A user-centric bottom-up approach to ethics in AI could be the answer to regulating AI innovation that is usually too fast and dynamic for a central regulator to keep up ...

Towards Digital Inclusion 2.0

Inclusion 2.0 can only be achieved when strands of access integrate an understanding of the history of oppression, feminist perspectives, and ethnic perspectives while simultaneously constantly integrating user feedback

Collision risks in outer space due to mega-constellations

The sporadic and uncontrolled launch of thousands of new mega-constellations put outer space security and safety at risk.

Challenges to building responsible behaviour in space

Changing Indian space policy landscape

The need for a transformation of the Indian space policy landscape goes beyond just the need for creating jobs or for improving tax revenues from the market for space activities

Firebreaks, firewalls, and ‘windows of opportunity’ in cyber norms

The Global South must amplify its ideas, perspectives, and positions on cybernorms as multilateral institutions like the UN work towards a framework for responsible state behaviour in cyberspace

In search of a coherent international approach to governing technologies

If States cannot agree on legally binding rules, norms are the next best option for shaping State behaviour in cyberspace, but is that enough?

Crowded outer space: Can a global Space Traffic Management (STM) be a reality? 

As Near-Earth orbital space gets more crowded, it is imperative that states should come to a more comprehensive agreement to regulate it

The road to an evenly distributed TechFuture should put the needs of the Global South front and centre

Countries in the Global South are keen on leveraging cyberspace for their economic development, and thus, have a considerable interest in the security and stability of the digital realm

Magnanimous machines: Why AI work should work for people and not the other way around

Machine learning allows us to replicate past patterns at an astonishing rate, we should work towards not replicating past mistakes and patterns

The hunt for tech unicorns: How sovereign funds accelerate the digital economy

Sovereign funds are now looking to be the next big funders of both domestic and international innovation

Reflection on “Women in Tech” narratives

Technology reflects the biases of its creators; if most are men, women’s needs will be left out of the design of tech innovation.

Facial recognition in law enforcement is the litmus test for India’s commitment to “Responsible AI for All”

Responsible and ethical AI is premised on an infrastructure of trust; it is imperative that accountability and governance frameworks establish transparency, and checks and balances, respectively

The machine’s rage against the planet

How AI systems impact the environment and how we can be more sustainable in their design, development, and deployment

A new edge in global stability: What does space security entail for states?

The recent multiplication of space actors, whether States or non-government entities, as well as assets and activities, became a game-changer for law- and policy-makers

Prerequisites for effective space governance: Space Situational Awareness

SSA analyses are essential prerequisites for verifying compliance with any robust space governance regime, and support space safety at a more basic level

Can competition tools fix social media?

Replacing tech authoritarianism with state overreach will only exacerbate problems plaguing social media platforms